Press Conference, 11 December 2008

Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting
Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Policy Consultation on Africa
Foreign Minister of Malawi to visit Japan
Foreign Minister Nakasone meets with the Foreign Secretary of the Philippines to celebrate the Japan-Philippines EPA
Japan to take part in workshop to implement CWC in Vientiane
Japan and the EU hold Regulatory Reform Dialogue meeting in Tokyo
Third International MANGA Award submission process begins
Questions concerning the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting

I. Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting

Deputy Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura: Good afternoon. Welcome to the conference.

Let me begin with some announcements.

First, this coming Saturday, the 13th, Prime Minister Aso will host the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting in Fukuoka, Japan. Foreign Minister Nakasone will also attend the meeting. This is a historically significant meeting in which leaders of the three countries, for the first time, will hold a meeting of its kind independently from other international conferences.

II. Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Policy Consultation on Africa

And, prior to the summit meeting, the three countries will hold policy consultations on Africa tomorrow, Friday, the 12th, here at the Foreign Ministry. This is the first of its kind and the three parties will discuss their policies toward Africa, their economic relations and development cooperation with Africa, and the regional situation.

Related Information (Press Release)

III. Foreign Minister of Malawi to visit Japan

Speaking of Africa, Japan will welcome a guest from Malawi this weekend. This coming Sunday, the 14th, Foreign Minister Joyce Banda will visit Japan upon the invitation of the Ministry. Japan established its embassy in Malawi in January this year and has been working to strengthen bilateral relations with the country. Besides her engagement in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Banda will also visit Oita Prefecture. Oita has a close relationship with Malawi through the so-called 'One-Village-One-Product Campaign.' Japan will continue to support economic development in Malawi by implementing assistance measures announced at this year's TICAD IV.

Related Information (Press Release)

IV. Foreign Minister Nakasone meets with the Foreign Secretary of the Philippines to celebrate the Japan-Philippines EPA

Going back to the Asian front, today, the 11th, Foreign Minister Nakasone will meet with Foreign Secretary of the Philippines, Mr. Romero, in Tokyo. The Minister and Secretary will celebrate the taking into effect of the Japan-Philippine EPA, and discuss the world economy as well as the situation in Mindanao.

V. Japan to take part in workshop to implement CWC in Vientiane

One more with Asia, a workshop to promote national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, or CWC, is now being held in Vientiane, Laos. Japan, Laos, the Republic of Korea, and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as known as OPCW, are hosting this workshop. During the workshop, Japan will introduce its experience and efforts in implementation of the CWC.

Related Information (Press Release)

VI. Japan and the EU hold Regulatory Reform Dialogue meeting in Tokyo

And, on the European front, tomorrow, Friday, the 12th, Japan and European Union will hold a FY2008 Japan-EU Regulatory Reform Dialogue Tokyo Meeting here at the Ministry. The two sides will discuss regulatory reforms and cooperation between Japan and the EU to improve the business environment. This will be the 15th dialogue since it started in 1994.

Related Information (Press Release)

VII. Third International MANGA Award submission process begins

Lastly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now accepting entries for the Third International MANGA Award. Guidelines for application and entry forms can be downloaded from the Ministry's website. The award winners will be invited to Japan and will have a chance to meet with Japanese MANGA artists and visit publishing companies in Japan. We will accept the applications until Saturday, January 31st, 2009.

That concludes my announcements. I would now like to invite your questions, please.

VIII. Questions concerning the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting

Q: Since you mentioned the trilateral talks on Saturday, can you give more details on what main issues will be on the agenda?

Mr. Kawamura: The first issue to be discussed will be that of the strengthening of trilateral cooperation in general for the future based upon the assessment of the current state of play. The general trilateral cooperation has great significance, as I said at the beginning, because it is going to be the first time to be held independently from the other international conferences. So, the dialogue will enrich the future possibilities of cooperation in the Asian and the global front.

The international financial situations could be included in the second part of the agenda. The synergy among the three countries is very important, taking into consideration the current crisis the rest of the international community faces. Japan, China and Korea combined mark the 74% of the East Asian economy in terms of GDP and, also, the trilateral trade amounts are counted as 66% of the Asian total.

So, those three countries' leadership is more than expected under the current situation. Based upon the agreements and the coordination reached through the Washington G20 Meeting and the recent APEC front, we will hope to see a confirmation and furtherance of the cooperation among the three countries.

I think I need to refer to the significance of trilateral cooperation in the Northeast Asian situation as well. The trilateral cooperation will supplement the existing mechanisms of the ASEAN+3 or the East Asian Summit or APEC. The issues of environment, disaster prevention, personnel exchanges, and trade and investment will be included in the agenda.

They are also expected to discuss the diplomatic issues such as the stability of the Korean Peninsula in the context of the Six-Party Talks and also the region's external relations with the United States and the ASEAN.

Q: What are the key expectations or main results that Japan hopes to achieve?

Mr. Kawamura: The bottom line is that the significance exists in the meeting, itself, of those three leaders out of the context of international conferences, but the three leaders will meet for the first time in Asia and discuss global and regional issues. The significance is already there and we could expect a very meaningful outcome.

There are some expectations on the side of the press that the three summit leaders will issue a kind of statement. At this moment we have not confirmed the issuance of such results or outcomes in the form of papers, but officials are coordinating now as to whether they can issue the documents or not.

Q: Are there some bilaterals arranged on the sidelines?

Mr. Kawamura: Yes, we are planning to hold some bilateral meetings as well. We are trying to find a timeslot between the trilateral meetings.

Q: Since you mentioned Foreign Minister Nakasone will also be there, is there going to be a separate trilateral foreign ministers meeting, or are they just going to sit in on the summit?

Mr. Kawamura: My understanding is that Foreign Minister Nakasone will attend the trilateral summit meeting. However, from the perspective of time management, it might be not so easy for the Foreign Minister to hold independently the meeting.

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